A powerful winter storm has punched its way into the Southern U.S. on Friday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue winter storm warnings from Texas to South Carolina.
In all, parts of 15 states are under a winter storm warning, with several other states facing winter weather advisories.
The National Weather Service is forecasting snowfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches from near Memphis into the central Appalachians. Forecasters said sleet and freezing rain will affect locations just south of the snowfall, with ice accumulations locally nearing 0.25 inches from far northeastern Alabama into northern Georgia and upstate South Carolina.
There is also a widespread area of 1-3 inches of snow expected for the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlatnic.
The governors of Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas closed state offices in advance of the storm. For Kentucky, Friday is the second major winter storm to strike the state this week.
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“Kentucky has gotten through a severe winter storm this week without a single major injury. We have another round of rough weather moving in… so it’s important Kentuckians pay attention to their local forecasts and are careful tonight and tomorrow. Be weather aware, take it slow and look out for one another. We’ll get through this second round of storms, together," said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Nashville typically averages 4.7 inches of snow a year. On Friday, it could get at least 6 inches in one day. The wintry blast caused many shoppers to empty the shelves of area grocery stores.
"When they told us [about the storm], I was like 'oh man, we gotta go to the grocery store,'" one customer, Ta'Koria Primm, told Scripps News Nashville. "Because you don't know how long [the snow is] going to stick for!"
As of about midday Friday, power outages have remained minimal with about 60,000 customers out, mostly in Texas and Arkansas. Additional disruptions are possible as the storm moves east
